1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to child walkers and particularly to child walkers using a suspended track system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infant development has evolved over the years. Infants in the recent past infant jumpers have been developed that allow an infant to bounce unassisted. Such jumpers also allow an infant to stand and practice walking. Most of these systems are fixed in place jumpers that restrict the amount of actual walking an infant can accomplish. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,452 is A-frame device in which an infant, supported in a sling can bounce and walk in a line by rolling a pulley along the center ridge of the A-frame. Another model uses a clamp found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,056,977 to suspend a jumper from a doorframe of an open door. FIG. 1 is a depiction of this device in use, as prior art. Again, while allowing the child some limited movement, this device essentially keeps the child in one place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,550 teaches a track system that attaches to a ceiling. A wheeled truck is placed in the track and a jumper harness is suspended from it. This allows the child to move along the length of the track. The problem here is that the design is limited to straight runs only and uses a harness designed to be used with that specific track system. Thus, people who might have bought one of the “on door” harnesses would not be able to use that harness on this track system.